Millennials would rather give up shampooing for a week than stop using their phones

A survey conducted by an app-based phone service Visible asked 1,180 millennials a series of “Would you rather?” questions, to find out what they would be willing to give up for their smartphones.

Of those surveyed, 41% said they would rather give up shampooing for a week than forego their phone for a week, effectively their need to stay connected over personal hygiene.

Similarly, other results showed some consumers are willing to prioritize their smartphones over entertainment, personal belongings, and caffeine.

What would you be willing to give up in order to keep your smartphone privileges for a week?

A lot of consumers say they would be willing to temporarily stop using household items or give up their favorite pastimes; some are apparently willing to adopt questionable hygiene standards.

As it turns out, 41% of millennials ages 18 to 34 said they would be willing to quit shampooing for a week if it meant keeping their phone for that same period of time,according to a survey conducted by app-based phone service Visible. All 1,180 respondents owned a cell phone and were split almost evenly by gender using the census’ breakdown.

Entertaining as it might be, this statistic brings to mind the conversation surrounding smartphone addiction that has been consuming various companies, adults, and teens. While some argue that it’s on the product and platform creators to help control our dependence on mobile devices, others say it’s our own responsibility — and a good first step is knowing where you stand.

In the survey, a similar number of respondents (54%) said they would be willing to give up movies and TV for a month, while 28% said they would be willing to give up their pet for the week, 23% chose their phone over caffeine, and a small 17% took the ‘take my toothbrush but not my cell phone’ approach.

Given the capabilities of today’s smartphones, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that consumers would be willing to prioritise them more than they did a decade ago. But these results — particularly the ones about habits we’re taught are crucial from an early age — are an interesting look at just how a generation that has lived with smartphones for all or most of their adult life sees their mobile devices as necessity over luxury.